In this animation you can see (approximately) how sound propagates in air. You can choose to display the layers of air between our two characters (hehe) as lines or as particles. Each layer doesn't really move to the right, it just oscillates around its equilibrium position, as it's easier to see if you click on "Color layers".
In the graph you can see how much each layer is displaced from its equilibrium position.
If you choose to display the layers as particles the animation will show you something closer to the real world, with particles of air vibrating fast inside each layer.
Notes: